Help? I cannot find naturalization documents!

[Patrizio]

Hello all,

I would really appreciate any insight or help related to my search for my great grandfather’s naturalization, which may or may not have occurred.

List of known events:
- Arrived in NY as “non-immigrant alien” in 1908 per ship log.
- Crosses into Canada and is issued an “Alien Certificate” in 1916 after working in SF and Portland.
- Is listed in 1920 in Seattle married with two children. Listed as “AL” for alien under citizenship status.
- Leaves the US for some time and arrives back in 1922 from Viareggio, Italy in route to Toronto, Canada. Ship log has “Nationality, Country of which citizen or subject” filled out as “Italy.”
- Is listed in 1940 in Detroit with wife and children. Listed as “NA” for naturalized under citizenship status.

To me, this timeline means that he naturalized somewhere between 1922 and 1940. The problem is that USCIS just wrote me back to say that they have no naturalization record for him or any similar names. I even provided them with a SSN of his from his death in 1953, just to provide any last helpful information. I have followed up in order to receive a certificate of non-existence.

My grandfather (his son) was born in late 1923, so I am hoping to collect documentation that shows he naturalized after that.

My question: How could USCIS have no documentation for his naturalization if the paper trail of documents showed he naturalized? Could he have not naturalized, incorrectly reported it to a census worker, and have a SSN?

I am contacting Wayne County (Detroit) to get a letter of no documentation existing. What other steps should I take?

I cannot find him in the 1930 census on any websites. What is the process for requesting census records that I could use with a consulate?

Any experience with a lack of records from USCIS would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you!

[falconijo]

You get a SSN if you are eligible to work, and eligible to receive social security benefits. It doesn't mean you are a citizen. And it's not unheard of to lie to a census worker.

If the USCIS says there is no record of his naturalizing, that is good, right? It means he passes his citizenship to his descendants.

Have you requested vital records for his children? That will give you more information.

And the National Archives will have census records. If you don't have a branch near you, I think they will perform a search for you if you email them your question. Is it possible that your ancestor was traveling during the 30s? Did you try looking for his wife's name, or children's names? Sometimes misspellings are a jerk. Good luck.

[parkergambino]

I have a few deceased relatives whose naturalization documents I would likewise hope to locate. They are reported in the census to have been naturalized. I think that it is possible that some immigrants, especially those not fluent in English, may have mistakenly believed that they had become citizens, and then reported the misinformation to the census-taker.

My reasoning is based on the complex and somewhat confusing nature of the naturalization process in some jurisdictions, involving a series of steps (and these may have been addressed in different ways according to the very numerous courts where naturalization proceedings occurred):

- first was a filing of Declaration of Intent;
- subsequently, there was a petition based on the information provided in the declaration;
- there may also have been an affidavit by a witness attesting to the suitability of the applicant;
- once the petition was approved and the applicant took an oath, then the process was completed.

This may have involved three separate visits to a court. But some immigrants may have assumed that after the Declaration (which produced an official-looking document) that they had completed the process. One of my relatives had even gone to two different courts to make the Declaration. It's an invitation to confusion, which is hard for even me to get straight - different jurisdictions had different variants of how the process was handled.

Parker

[Swanson5467]

Yes, parkergambino is correct! The naturalization process was AT LEAST a 2-step process. The first being filling out the "first papers"/"Declaration of Intention". This was done at a local court before 1906. After 1906, the duties of naturalization were transferred to the federal courts, although it is said that it may have taken some time for the full relinquishment of these responsibilities by the local courts.

After the declaration of intention, the "second papers"/"Petition for Naturalization" needed to be completed.

https://www.archives.gov/research/immig ... ralization

Like falconijo said, it is a good thing if no naturalization records are found. If your ancestors naturalized to become US citizens, then they, by definition of naturalization, renounced their Italian citizenship. If they renounced their Italian citizenship BEFORE their children were born, then the blood-line is broken (i.e. they could not have passed down their Italian citizenship to their offspring)

My question for this thread is: does the "Declaration of Intention" suffice as a renunciation of Italian citizenship in the eyes of the Italian government? In other words, if ONLY the "Declaration of Intention" is found, and no "Petition of Naturalization", did the ancestor retain their Italian citizenship??

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

[jecullen3]

Swanson5467 I am experiencing the same confusion. My paternal grandfather filed a declaration of intent, but I can not find a record of him ever becoming a citizen. In fact, his last census before he died just has him listed with “Pa” indicating first papers were filed.

Interested in whether that breaks the blood line or not.